This year, we created a series of 90s-themed cybersecurity games to support our annual compliance campaign. Designing the games was the fun part. Then came the less glamorous question: How would we track who completed them? The obvious answer was our LMS. It was also a much bigger answer than we needed. The Games ExpandedContinueContinue reading “Why We Kept Our Learning Games Out of the LMS”
Category Archives: Instructional Design
Five Studies That Shaped My Thinking About Training
When training fails, our first instinct is often to add something. Another explanation. Another example. Another module. Maybe a quiz with three answers nobody could possibly get wrong. But what if content isn’t the problem? I recently reviewed 50 studies from psychology, behavioral science, and learning research. I chose them for their influence, historical value,ContinueContinue reading “Five Studies That Shaped My Thinking About Training”
Stop Calling It Mandatory Training
An email lands in your inbox with the subject line Mandatory Annual Compliance Training—Complete by Friday. Before you open it, you already know the plot: a slow march through policy slides, a quiz designed to prove you were technically present, and perhaps a cheerful stock photo of coworkers pointing at a laptop. The course mayContinueContinue reading “Stop Calling It Mandatory Training”
Attention Isn’t Given. It’s Spent.
Learners aren’t losing the ability to pay attention. They’re making rational decisions about where to spend it. That’s not a capacity problem. It’s a design problem. Attention Is a Resource. Not a Reflex. Herbert Simon saw it coming in 1971. A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention. His point was precise: information doesn’t justContinueContinue reading “Attention Isn’t Given. It’s Spent.”
The Dual Coding Problem: Why Your Learners Keep Tuning You Out
How Dual Coding Theory Explains (and Fixes) Your Biggest Learning Design Problem Your learners look glazed over. They’re reading ahead while you talk. Or they’ve checked out entirely. You know what they’re doing? Choosing. Read the slide or listen to you. Not both. They can’t. And it’s not their fault—it’s your design. Your Brain ProcessesContinueContinue reading “The Dual Coding Problem: Why Your Learners Keep Tuning You Out”
Most Instructional Designers Put This at the Start. Here’s Why YOU Shouldn’t!
You spent three weeks on that compliance module. Got the objectives perfectly clear. Slide two, exactly where Gagne said they should be. Your instructional design was textbook. Then you watched what happened: Learners skimmed the objectives and jumped ahead. Exit interviews revealed the pattern: “I knew what I was supposed to learn, so I didn’tContinueContinue reading “Most Instructional Designers Put This at the Start. Here’s Why YOU Shouldn’t!”
The Dangerous Allure of Distraction: Why Seductive Details Can Derail Learning (and When They Don’t)
NOTE: I’ve updated this post from the previous version to incorporate some new research shared by Julie Dirksen & Will Thalheimer. Every learning designer knows the temptation. You’ve built a solid course… but it still feels a little flat.So you add a funny story.Or a dramatic photo.Or a splash of background music because “engagement!” AndContinueContinue reading “The Dangerous Allure of Distraction: Why Seductive Details Can Derail Learning (and When They Don’t)”
The L&D Detective: Solving Performance Mysteries with Mager’s Flowchart
As an L&D professional, you may feel overwhelmed by the challenges of diagnosing and solving performance problems in your organization. Fortunately, there’s a powerful tool that can guide you through this process: Mager’s Performance Consulting Flowchart. In this blog post, we’ll break down Mager’s flowchart, explain why it’s so helpful, and highlight the benefits ofContinueContinue reading “The L&D Detective: Solving Performance Mysteries with Mager’s Flowchart”
Want to Upgrade Your L&D Results? Speak to the Primal Brain
For years, Bianca Baumann and I have been sharing a number of invaluable principles that Learning and Development (L&D) can “Steal From Marketing”. It dawned on me that I’ve never put pen to paper to share these transformative ideas, and that’s a disservice I intend to rectify today. These principles aren’t just theoretical musings; theyContinueContinue reading “Want to Upgrade Your L&D Results? Speak to the Primal Brain”
Using Email Marketing Tools for Learning Campaigns
Imagine writing a set of emails just once that is sent to different people at different times when they need it most. Despite all the hype for social networks and messaging apps, there’s only one online platform that everyone uses: email. You can send an email using any email service or application, and you’ll knowContinueContinue reading “Using Email Marketing Tools for Learning Campaigns”
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